Rahul Gandhi
Rahul Rajiv Gandhi (Hindi pronunciation: [ˈraːɦʊl raːdʒiːʋ ˈɡaːndʱiː] ; born 19 June 1970) is an Indian politician. A member of the Indian National Congress (INC), he has served as the 12th Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha and as the member of the Lok Sabha for Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh, since June 2024.[c] He previously represented the constituency of Wayanad, Kerala, from 2019 to 2024, and Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, from 2004 to 2019. Gandhi served as the party president of the INC from December 2017 to July 2019 and is the chairperson of the Indian Youth Congress, the National Students Union of India, and a trustee of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust. He is a member of the Nehru–Gandhi political family.
Rahul Gandhi
Sushma Swaraj (2014)[a][b]
TBD
position established
position abolished
Sonia Gandhi
position established
position established
Rajiv Gandhi (father)
Sonia Gandhi (mother)
10, Janpath, New Delhi, Delhi, India
Born in New Delhi, Gandhi spent his early childhood between Delhi and Dehradun and stayed away from the public sphere for much of his childhood and early youth. He received primary education in New Delhi and then attended the elite all-boys' boarding The Doon School in Dehradun. Due to security concerns, he was later home-schooled. Gandhi commenced his undergraduate degree at St. Stephen's College before moving to Harvard University. The following year, due to security threats following the assassination of his father, he moved to Rollins College in Florida, completing his degree in 1994. The next year, he obtained his M.Phil. from Cambridge. After completing his post-graduation, he initiated his professional career with the Monitor Group, a management consulting firm in London. Soon thereafter, he returned to India and founded Backops Services Private Ltd, a technology outsourcing firm based in Mumbai.
Gandhi contested and won a seat in the Lok Sabha from Amethi in 2004, winning reelection in 2009 and 2014. Gandhi led the INC in the 2014 and 2019 Indian general elections, with the party facing significant losses in both, winning only 44 and 52 seats, respectively. In Parliament, Gandhi has served as a member of several Parliamentary Committees including Home Affairs, Human Resource Development, External Affairs, Ministry of Finance and Corporate Affairs and Defence. Before the 2024 general elections, Gandhi led the Bharat Jodo Yatra and the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, and helped the INC in securing 99 seats, thus garnering the party the Official Opposition status for the first time in 10 years, with himself being nominated to serve as leader of the Official Opposition. He won the seat of Rae Bareli in the election, succeeding his mother, Sonia Gandhi.[10][11][12]
Positions held
Public offices
In 2004, the Gandhi was elected to the 14th Lok Sabha and served as a member of the Standing Committee on Home Affairs from 2004 to 2006, as well as a member of the Standing Committee on Human Resource Development from 2006 to 2009.[97] In 2009, they were re-elected to the 15th Lok Sabha for a second term and served as a member of the Standing Committee on Human Resource Development, along with being a member of the Consultative Committee on Rural Development.[98][99]
In 2014, Gandhi was elected to the 16th Lok Sabha for a third term and served as a member of the Standing Committee on External Affairs, as well as a member of the Consultative Committee on Ministry of Finance and Corporate Affairs.[97] In 2019, he was elected to the 17th Lok Sabha for a fourth term and served as a member of the Standing Committee on Defence, as well as a member of the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of External Affairs.[100]